Okay, so it’s not a cultural artifact exactly—more like a cultural phenomenon. And it’s not the phenomenon exactly, but its sudden decline, that is notable. But bear with us, because it seems significant that in a nation composed overwhelmingly of immigrants, the number of Americans moving dropped to its lowest level in almost fifty years last year. Measured as a percentage of the population, the proportion of Americans who changed their residence last year (11.9%) is half what it was in the years after World War II.
It’s worth noting, however, that this new low follows decades of steadily declining mobility. We are staying put longer than our parents did, and they stayed put longer than our grandparents. (By the way, it sure doesn’t seem that way in the coastal cities where your editors have spent much of their adult lives, which makes us wonder whether this overall trend conceals some growing gaps related to geography, class, and possibly race.)
Have you moved recently—or not moved? How has your mobility affected the kind of culture you can, and cannot, cultivate and create? What does staying put make of the world?
I think we’ve found other ways of “traveling” while benefiting from staying put.
—joseph myersThat what you are looking for is right under your nose.
—Simon FowlerI think that not moving assumes that the world is, in many ways, coming to me. It also assumes that what I truly need is available to me in whatever locality I am.
—Tim FranklinThe globalized world is smaller, more accessible, and does not require a physical change of location to access it.
—Brad EdwardsThat moving is very expensive (as I am now discovering), and so staying put can save a lot of cash.
—lmjWe can’t sell our houses. We’re scared to transition in troubled times.
—Matthew HundleyThat there is something more important *here* than *other there*.
—Mike HickersonOops - I meant “over” there. But “other” might be appropriate, too.
—Mike HickersonNot moving assumes that our Western world, in particular, should slow down and be still.
—Tim FranklinStable.
—lmjIf we owned our houses, versus renti…ahum…30-year mortgages then we might be more committed to our house and community.
—Matthew HundleyGreen grass - because you’re there long enough to care to tend it.
—Simon FowlerNot moving makes possible roots, connections, deep friendships, community. Knowing and being known can truly begin to occur, and trust can grow. Choosing to stay put can lead to contentment.
—Tim FranklinAs someone who moved recently at the dictates of my career (and very much against my will, I might add,) I’m finding by negation that not moving allows you to experience the uniqueness of a place. It seems one of our first inclinations, upon moving somewhere new, is to find touchstones of familiarity. Unfortunately, if we don’t have the time to set down roots, neither do we have the time to grow beyond these touchstones and enjoy the differences of our new community, which are often far more interesting than its similarities.
I recall being quite jaded following a three month European Odyssey, thinking that babysitting inebriated friends at two in the morning is about the same in Catania, Cadiz or Chania. And while this was probably true, daytrips to Minoan ruins and Carthaginian ruins and Roman ruins all had a much more unique flavor. In a day, all you saw was similarity; in a week, you began to enjoy the difference… perhaps it’s the same for living in community: in a year, you gather commonality around yourself; in a decade, you make the differences around you part of yourself as well.
—DaveNot moving makes relationships possible. I live in St. Louis, which is perennially seen as a “stepping stone” city: Bigger than your suburb, but not quite where you want to be (Chicago, NY, LA, etc.). We are a city of lonely people because we all use the city for the opportunities it provides us, rather than investing in it and it’s people.
—Brad EdwardsEquity in one’s house.
Enculturation.
—lmjFruit trees.
—RachelGet to know your neighbors. Make a committment to getting more involved in the community.
—Matthew HundleyThe necessary time for a place to become home.
—Mark HersheyIn some cases, finding a job, or finding a better paying job. Among academics, not moving will likely doom your chances of getting tenure. If you have a dream of becoming rich and famous, you’re not likely to “not move” in Burlington, KY (where I am currently neither rich nor famous).
—Mike HickersonIn many cases, not moving makes face-to-face cross-cultural pollination difficult, if not impossible. Also, for me, not moving means Thai food is unavailable.
—Tim FranklinI agree with Tim, but will add that community with an unspoken expiration date makes deep, meaningful relationships unlikely and incredibly difficult.
—Brad EdwardsGetting to know other parts of the country/world at a deeper level.
Service in the military.
The life of Abraham.
—lmjLateral geographical moves to jockey for new positions in corporate America.
—Matthew HundleyTechnomadic!
—joseph myersA much better one…
—Brad EdwardsI’m hoping it creates big discounts from moving companies desperate for work…
—lmjWe actually develop a sense of place, purpose, belonging…community.
—Matthew HundleyThe smaller more technical world is a small issue. I think during the first and second world wars there was poverty, restlessness, the world was still a place where we sought what was over the hill and a sense of what now pervaded. So people went out and sought what was out there. Seeking your fortune, finding yourself, and of course adventure. New industries, different lifestyles and of course as Christians there were many who were seeking to fill that hole. Since churches have spread, industries spread and a sense of what is out there has been gained, people turned obviously to communities and family. Hey, it’s a thought - my five cents worth. I do love the technical aspects too.
Peter
—Peter Challis